Smyrna Hoopster is "Mann" of the Hour

In one of the major shockers of the nascent 2013-14 college basketball season, perennial powerhouse and number 12-ranked North Carolina was defeated at home by the Belmont Bruins of the Ohio Valley Conference on Nov 17.

One of the key players in Belmont's upset of the Tar Heels was senior J.J. Mann, who hails from Smyrna; In fact, Mann hit the game-winning three with only 13.1 seconds left on the clock.

Since then, the Bruins have continued to rack up win after win under the leadership of Mann, who was named the Ohio Valley Conference's Player of the Week on Monday.

Mann's latest performance was a career-best 32 point, seven rebound, four steal effort against Middle Tennesee State on Dec. 3. Middle Tennessee had won 33 regular season games in a row before coming up against Mann and the Bruins.

This is Mann's second Player of the Week nod this season. On Nov. 18, Mann won accolades from the Ohio Valley Conference, CBSSports.com and NBCSports.com for his performance against North Carolina.

Mann, a six-foot-six guard/forward, is averaging 19.1 points a game, 5.5 rebounds a game, 2.8 assists a game, and a free throw percentage of 90.2 during the 2013-14 campaign for the Bruins, who currently sit at 8-2.